Door



Sept 7, 1943. l. B. wAMNEs ETAL DOOR Filed Sept. 16. 1941 INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1943 VZNlT'ED .STATES OFFICE l i Leonard B.Wamnesv, 4White Plains, and RobertD. g Stott, New York, N. Y., and Arthur Warren l VCanney, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application ASeptemher16, 1941,(Serial No. {110,976}

(orgs-sr) 3 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in doors. In particular our invention embodies an improved door adapted to provide the usual means of ingress and egress to and from a room orv otherconi'lned space and,'in the closed position, to provide privacy both physicaly and audible while at the same time permittinga free flow of air for ventilation. Our improveddoor is adapt# ed to receive andrhouse standard household nishing hardware and therefore can readily be installed, vwithout making special provisions therefor, in any doorway whereit is desired at all times to maintain a low resistance path for the passage .of a large volume of air while at the same time aording a closure which will provide physical privacy and prevent, at least to a substantial extent, the transmission vof articulate sound. At the same timefthe appearance of to maintain proper ventilation into'a room, seriesY of rooms, or other confined space, irrespective of whether such freshA air entersY through an air supply ductor through an openy window, can be continuously maintained only by also providing for the relief of anequivalent amount of air.

Accordingly, `the amount of entering air is in a large measure controlled by the resistance of the path through which the air is relieved. In many mechanical Ventilating systems for private homes,y

hotels, office buildings and marine installations, fresh air is supplied to individual rooms or groups of rooms `byV separate branch. ducts but means forwithdrawal are provided only from centralized areas such as hallways, corridors, staircasesvandf the like. Our improved .door is .of special `value and application in installationsl of this type."

,Our door comprises-essentially an' outer frame;

adapted to receive andhouse standard household finishing hardware, and side-panels vspaced apart by panel-supporting walls which extend from'thev inner edges of the frame to the outer edges of the side-panels thereby forming ,an elongated chamber extending,substantiallythe full length of the'door. 'I'he width ofthe panel-supporting walls or the shape of' the side-panels or both Y are so co-ordinatedv that the internal transverse cross-.sectional area of the chamber between the side-panels substantially exceeds the transverse cross-sectional area of those portions of 'thedoor which extendabove and below the side-panels. At the bottom of one-side panel and at the top ofthe other, openings are provided which have crossfsectional` areas lsubstantially equal to the internal cross-sectional transverse area of the chamber included between the side-panels, therebyproviding a channel of relatively large crosssectional areawhich extends substantially the entire" length ofthe door and opens adjacent the bottom of the door on one side and adjacent the top of the door onthemother. The length of this channelftherefore issubstantially greater `than itsmaxiinum transverse dimension. The interior of thischannel is lined by a soundabsorbing material, a relatively thick layer of felt, asbestos, orrother fibrous material; for example.

`In`it`s preferred form a plurality Of longitudinal partitions are provided inthe chamber at spaced intervals and both sides ofthese partitions are alsocovere'd with sound-absorbing materia1,- Such partitions furnish support for thev side-panels and also serve to divide the chamber within thedoor into a plurality of parallel channels in which the ratio of maximum transverse dimension `to length is decreased.`

In one installation in a, building provided with mechanical ventilation the rate of flow of'air- `through an open doorway of average size was 600 cu.` ft. per minute. VA doorlembodying our invention was installed in this doorway.' In this particular door the distance between the inner surfaces of the sound-absorbing lining on the side-panels varied from approximately 31/2 inches at'the pointl of greatest thickness to approximately 2inches vat theedge of thechamber. The

- overallinternal width-of the chamber was slightly in excess of'2 feet. With this door in the closed position the rate of flow through the door was reduced only to approximately 530 cu. ft. per min. ute.- With an exceedingly" slight vreadjustment of the pressure diierentialjt was found possible toexhaust air through this door, in the `closed position, at a rate well in excess of 600 cu. ft. per minute. `In this installation only one longitudinal partition was provided and notwithstanding the slight difference between the rate of flow of air through the doorway when the door was in the open and the vclosed positions, the door when `closed greatly reduced the trans- `mission of audible sound and"eliminated the' transmission o f articulate sound to the extent of making eavesdropping exceedingly difficult if noty impossible.

`a door'of this type increasing the number of 'longitudinal partitions has the effect of further increasing the resistance of the oW of air and thus decreasing the rate of air flow for a given pressure differential. However, it increases the degree of sound absorption both by increasing the amount of sound absorbing material within the door and by increasing the ratio of length to maximum transverse `dimension in any one channel extending through the door.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one form of door embodying our invention, and ourv A invention will be further described in conneetion therewith.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an enlarged transverse section taken along theline l-Tl of the door shown in elevation in Fig. 3. Fig.' -2 is an er1-jug `r#the damper and its actuating mechanism, if provided, may assume various forms and be made operable from either side or from both sides of larged vertical section ofthe door shown in Fig. 3'."

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail .showing ,an arm segment arrangement which serves to position the damper. The same refernce numeral is used to .designates Atiri-.e same part in all figures. Y

The door :illustrated the drawing Y.c omnr-isss an outer frame i. of ordinary construction and th-iclmeess .so as to accommodate standard househeld hardware. suol-1 .as hinges, locks, and .the like.. Panelpsupporti-ng walls Zware y:attrae-llcd to the .inner edges loi the imams I and to the outer the door if desired.y Likewise, one side-panel may 'be so .secu-red as `to be removable to permit access to the chamber within the door for cleaning or replacing gthe `soiuid.--absorbing materials.

edges foi the :relitti-,italythin sideepanels Loi-.veiled openings tare provided `at the upper.

and .df-lone of .the 1sidef-panels and fat the .lower end of the otherside-panel. 'Lungtllldlualpaflf titions .5 .extend between :the sidepanels3-and from the upper to .the ,lowerffhorzontalypanelsupponting ava/ll.. Horizontal. battons .5l-are -DTO- vided at .spaced .intervals ,to -gilve additional support to the relata/ely thin .side-panels 3. I'.Ine inner ysi-nfaces .of the sideqpanels 3;. both sides of the partitions -5., :and .the inner sunaces .or

the `pamelasupporting walls2-all are covered with a layerlof guianoielt approximately. l/e inch thick., or other equivalent soundfabsorbing material. In `'thedoor xillustrate'd inthe .drawing a recess II2 is `provided in one vstile of ,the door .frame to vaccorrunodate arm d0 which 1S ,attached :t0 :One end of shaft 9. This shaltcxtnds ath@ .entire Width of :the-.chamber rari-d supports :damper panels 8 mounted lin the ZVertical. channels. Notchedsegmenti! Iis provided .toleovoperate Withaproiecta'onfat-the.outer-.extremity of larm ,I D to maintain the damperc'fn the de siredposition.

While thefprovision.otadamper ismntesserllal, We have found lit 'to ,be desirable-particularly where -the ypressure ldiierential between Aopposite sidesof the closed door is subject yto considerable variation, as :otherwise excessive :draft .may .at

times be (encountered. Moreover, A,a damper ,is desirable drain fthastandpoint of `providing means for ipreventing ,owof air through the door in the event of fire. llhefsoundaabsorbing 4lininggi-,f a combustible material fis selected, should be subjected v`.to iefiplfoofrng treatment.

AWhile `the 'construction illustratedyin Athe drawing isforrelempioyine a wooden frameandwooden Sdefpanels, it -lwill-of `course be apparent that sheet .-metalor other vxmaterial may a'be used., particularlysfor thelexteriorshell lof thedoor panel. Likewise, .it .wilLbe understood Athat fvariousother modifications .may die `made witheutdeparting iromthe -spiritot our invention. These -fiat--side-- panels .may .be .used in 4lieu of the fbowedsidepanels illustratedl in Ythe drawing. However, the use.of fiat. side-.panels.necesstatesinereasing `the width of the vertical panel-supporting walls.; ,in

We claim:

'1. A door comprising an exterior fra-me surrounding @peni-ng, said trame consisting Q f re1- atiyely narrow upper and lower horizontal energie bers and relatively :narrow elongated members adapted to receive and heuse .standard household hardware...panel-Supremes Walls ntf tacked t0 the :inner v`periphery .of .seid iframe and extending @inwardly Y.froffl the plane .gf the iframe.. side-panels Spa-Ced apart .and .attached et their eds-es to said 'panel-supporting wells .and door# @rating therewith :to form a chamber, the inter: nel :thickness of which substantially exceeds fthe' thickness of said frame, an opening at the end of one .o frsaid side-panels andenother oneniing at the 'lower end 0f the other side-.panelsaid l openings xhavin-g a :cross-sectional:area ,at 'least substantially as vgreat .as the internal transverse crilssfsectional. area of .said chamber, thereby forming a Anormally g substantially yunobstrludtod channelef relatively large crossfsectional area extending from the upper edge offthexlzavvferrhor-iizQntal :trarne member gto the lower v,edge .of the upper horizontal .rainemember 4.and 'opening on opposite .sides of said door. the length'zof fsad channel substantially .exceeding its :maximum transverse dimension, and a .sound-absorbing relatively `nar-row upper and'.=lower horizontalmembers and relatively narrow elongated ver'-v tical members adapted toreceive and housestandardhousehold"hardware, panel-supporting walls' attached to the inner periphery of said 'frame' and extending outwardly from the lplaine ofthe framelside-panels spaced apart andatt'ached at their edges -fto said panel-supporting -walls Tand cooperating vtherewith .to Yiorr'n .a chamber, the internal :thickness of which substantially exceeds the thickness of saidfra'me, an opening lat `the* upperfendfof -oneofsaid side-.panels andanother opening at thezlow'er` end .of rthecther` side-panel)` said openings havingzacross-sectional area at' least .substantially .as .greatias the vinter-nal"ft/11ansverse cross-'sectional arealof said chamber, there; l by lforming a Inormally substantially unobstructed;

channel of relatively large crosssectional extending from the upper edgeof the lowergvhorir' zgntal frame member t0 the .lower fdgefflf .$115. upper horizontal frememember and meningen opposite sides of saiddQOr, .the .lensthf seid;

channel Substantially .exceeding its transverse dimension, longitudinal partitions .eX-. tendngbetween Saidsideranelsand. dividing said.

. channel .into `a :plurality fof parallel-I Channelsnf. Y lesser maximum vtransverse dimensions, and' a lining of sound-absorbing material in each of said parallel channels.

3. A door comprising an exterior frame surrounding an opening, said frame consisting of relatively narrow upper and lower horizontal members and relatively narrow elongated vertical members adapted to receive and house standard household hardware, panel-supporting walls attached to the inner periphery of said frame and extending outwardly from the plane of the frame, side-panels spaced apart and attached at least substantially as great as the internal transverse cross-sectional area of said chamber, thereby forming a normally substantially unobstructed channel of relatively large cross-sectional area extending from the upper edge of the lower horizontal frame member to the lower edge of the upper horizontal frame member and opening on opposite sides of said door, the length of said channel substantially exceeding its maximum transverse dimension, a soun'q -absorbing lining on the inner surface of said channel, a damper in said channel and means operable exteriorly of said channel for changing the position of said damper.

ARTHUR WARREN CANNEY.

LEONARD B. WAMNES.

ROBERT D. STOTT. 

